The “Seal Kindergarten” boom, with “over 5 million yen thrown away per day,” has not cooled off… Why seals are loved so much
‘When you stare at them, you get hooked on their personalities.’
Seals are really cute animals, but that’s not all. Since “Seal Kindergarten” is a shelter, I thought we should properly convey the background of its activities and why seals are protected. Also, although I think seals are familiar creatures, there are many things about them that I myself am surprisingly unaware of, and I didn’t really understand the difference between seals, sea lions, and fur seals. So I wanted to make a comprehensive book on the subject of seals.”
This book includes information on the activities of the Pieterburen Seal Center, also known as the “Seal Kindergarten,” and the Okhotsk Tocktori Center, the only seal protection facility in Japan, seals around the world in photographs, basic knowledge about seals, a list of facilities in Japan where you can see seals, and more. The “entirety” of the site is introduced with a wealth of photographs.
One of the donation initiatives in the “Seal Kindergarten” is the “Adoption System. For a donation of a predetermined amount of money, one can become a “foster parent” of a specific seal. Ms. Kobayashi also became a foster parent for a seal named “Chabashira” and watched over him until he was released into the ocean.
As I watched over the seals, I gradually came to understand that each individual has its own personality, such as a favorite pose or a favorite way to swim. The chubacilla I adopted often has a blank stare, but it’s cute because it’s a little funny and charming.
Other fans also paid attention to the individual seals in this way, which I found very new. I had always had the image of seals as wild animals, so it was a refreshing discovery to see that seals, like cats and many other animals, have their own personalities. It’s a natural thing when you think about it.”
A portion of the proceeds from the “Seal Marugoto Book” are donated to the “Seal Kindergarten” and the “Tokkari Center. The “Seal Kindergarten” offers the right to name a seal as part of the aforementioned adoption program, and after a fan vote on SNS, the name was decided to be “Tatsumi.
The book was the catalyst for this kind of connection. When the seal named Tatsumi is well enough to eat her own food and swim a lot, I think she will make her live-streaming debut on “Seal Kindergarten,” so I hope you will watch over her.
Looking back on the past, seals have captured our hearts with their “cuteness,” such as “Goma-chan” from the comic “Shonen Ashibe” and “Tama-chan” who appeared in the Tama River. It might be a good idea to learn more about them.
